People Are Angry About The Changes The EPA Announced This Week

On Thursday news broke that the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to remove its Office of the Science Advisor. The science advisor serves as a counsel to the EPA administrator to update them on scientific research focused on health and environmental regulations, and to make sure the highest quality science is integrated into the agency’s policies. The decision has not officially been made public.

John Konkus, a spokesman for the EPA, emailed the New York Times a statement from the current science adviser, Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, in which she said that the decision to dissolve the office would “combine offices with similar functions” and “eliminate redundancies”.

Many people took to Twitter to disagree with the proposed plans:

The foundation of the EPA rests upon scientific data and now Trump wants to dissolve the position that would ensure that top quality science is integrated when devising policy so he can continue his corporate agenda. And still silence from @RepBrianFitz. https://t.co/qEbK182Xno

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to dissolve its Office of the Science Advisor, a senior post that was created to counsel the E.P.A. administrator on the scientific research underpinning regulations…

On Tuesday the EPA placed Dr. Ruth Etzel, the head of the EPA’s Office of Children’s Health, on administrative leave. Etzel was asked to give up her badge, keys and cellphone. The EPA has declined to comment on personal matters.

Ruth Etzel, the head of EPA’s Office of Children’s Health, speaking in Alaska in 2016. Alaska Community Action on Toxics via YouTube / Via youtube.com

In an email obtained by BuzzFeed, Etzel said, “I appear to be the ‘fall guy’ for their plan to ‘disappear’ the office of children’s health. It had been apparent for about 5 months that the top EPA leaders were conducting ‘guerrilla warfare’ against me as the leader of OCHP, but now it’s clearly official.”

Dr. Etzel has received an abundance of support, including calls to reinstate her to her position: